“One can be sorry for her.”
Charlie returned with Marie-Christine. Her eyes were round with wonder. “It is the most exciting house!” she cried. “It’s very ancient, isn’t it, Mr. Claverham?”
“There are older ones in England,” said Charlie.
“I don’t believe there is one as exciting as this.”
Lady Constance’s lips twitched with amusement and pleasure. She was always pleased, I remembered, when people appreciated the house. I was glad Marie-Christine was making a good impression.
When it was time for us to retire, I went to Marie-Christine’s room to see that she was all right.
“It’s nice to be next door to you,” she said. “I reckon there are ghosts in this old place.”
“Well, if one visits you, all you have to do is knock on the wall and I’ll come in to share the company.”
She giggled with pleasure. I was so pleased to see her happy and contented.
I went to my room, and it was not very long before there was a gentle tap on my door. I called: “Come in,” and, to my pleasure, there was Gertie, the maid who had looked after me when I was last here.
“I’ve come to see you’ve got everything you want, miss,” she said.
“Gertie! I’m so glad to see you. How are you?”
“Not so bad, miss. How’s yourself? And you’ve brought this young lady with you.”
“Yes.” I told her: “Marie-Christine lost her family during the war in France and is now living with me.”
She looked shocked. “I was ever so sad when you went, miss,” she said. “Everybody here was.”
“Yes, it was very sad. Do you see much of Mrs. Claverham?”
“Oh yes, miss. I look after her in a way. She … er … don’t seem to fit here … her being an actress nobody’s ever heard of … not like Desiree … and being a cripple. Well, she can be a bit touchy at times. It’s nothing like it was here.”
“And Lady Constance—she is … all right with you now?”
“She don’t take much notice of me. She don’t pick on me. I’ll never forget that bust. I reckon I’d have been out of this place in no time if you hadn’t took the blame for it. I often think of that and what you done for me.”
“It was nothing, Gertie.”
“It was to me. We’ve got a new girl here now. Mabel … a sort of tweeny … learning and doing all the jobs nobody wants to do. I’d say she was a ha’p’orth short, if you ask me.”
“Do you mean she’s a little simple?”
“I’d say. And not a little. I’m the one that’s got to keep an eye on her. Will you be staying here long, miss?”
“I don’t think so. It’s just a short visit. I’ve really come to see Mrs. Claverham.”
“She’s ill most of the time. You never know how she’s going to be. Well … her being crippled like that. Perhaps you’ll be able to cheer her up.”
“I hope so,” I said.
“Well, if there’s anything you want, just ring. I’ll say good night. Have a good sleep.”
I doubted I should. My mind was in too much of a turmoil.
The next day I saw Lisa. She was lying in bed, propped up by pillows. She had changed a good deal, and I was shocked by her appearance.
“Oh, Noelle,” she said. “I am so glad you have come. What a lot has happened since we last met. You have not changed much. I know I have.”
“Poor Lisa! I was horrified when I heard of your accident.”
“All my hopes … all my dreams of greatness … gone, and because of a faulty trapdoor. I fell seven feet onto a concrete floor. I could have broken my neck. It could have finished me altogether … instead of finishing my career.” Her voice broke. “Perhaps it would have been better if it had.”
I had taken a seat by her bed, and put my hand over hers. I said: “You wanted to see me.”
“Oh yes. I did. I have for a long time … and now this. You are involved in it. In fact, our lives seem to have been involved ever since we met. It’s fate. Roderick has told me he always loved you. It was terrible, the way it had to end … and all the time it wasn’t true. Why did she do that to you?”
“It was all clear in her letters. She wanted to make sure that I was well looked after if anything happened to her. She had suffered during her own childhood, and she was determined that I should not be with people who did not want me. Charlie was rich. My real father was a poor man. She thought he could not give me all she wanted me to have.”
“I understand that. She was splendid. She would never let life lead her. She would guide it the way she wanted it to go. But that time it went wrong.”
“It was because she died so suddenly. If she had known that Roderick and I were seeing each other … if she had seen the possibility … she would have explained everything. But she died … so suddenly …”
“I thought she was the most wonderful person I had ever met.”
“You were not the only one who thought that.”
“And when she died … so unexpectedly …” Her face twisted, and her voice shook with emotion. “When I heard what had happened, it was the most horrifying moment of my life. She had done everything for me. No one had ever been so kind to me before.”
We were silent for a few moments.
“And now,” she went on, “I am asked to give up my husband and my home. Oh, Noelle, I have been happier here than I could be anywhere else. Roderick was so kind to me. I felt safe and secure, for the first time in my life.”
“He wanted to help you.”
“When it happened, I was completely desolate … without hope. I did not know which way to turn. I had saved a little money, but it would not last long. I had no idea what would happen to me. I was finished. I was desperate. I felt there was nothing left for me but to die. I thought of taking my life. He knew this. He is very sensitive. He is a good, kind man. He cares about people. He tried to cheer me up … and then suddenly he asked me to marry him. I could not believe it at first. But he meant it.”
“He understood what you were going through.”
“As no one else did. I could not believe it. It seemed like the greatest good fortune. It was a sudden change from despair to happiness. I think I was a little light-headed. I knew that he was still in love with you. But I thought: They can’t marry. Noelle will in time marry someone else. They have to forget each other. I will make him love me. I kept saying to myself: Brother and sister can’t marry. It’s against the law. It’s against nature. There is no reason why I shouldn’t marry him. I wouldn’t have hurt you for the world, Noelle. I shall never forget what you and your mother did for me. But it made no difference. You couldn’t marry him, could you? Or then you couldn’t.”
“Don’t reproach yourself, please.”
She lay back on her pillows, her eyes closed.
I said: “You are distressing yourself, Lisa. You must not do that.”
“I feel so tired sometimes. Worn out with the pain and not knowing what I must do. You are not leaving yet, are you?”
“No. I shall be here for a little while.”
“Come and see me again … when I feel better. We’ll be able to talk more then. I had a bad day yesterday. It takes me time to recover. I am so tired.”
“Rest now,” I said. “I will come and see you soon … and when you feel better, we’ll talk.”
Marie-Christine was eager to see the site, and in the afternoon I took her there. There was a certain amount of activity in progress. Some excavations were still going on and there were a few visitors.
Fiona greeted us warmly. She introduced us to the young man who was working with her, Jack Blackstock, her husband. He was very pleasant and, I immediately perceived, as earnest about the work they were doing as she was.
“There have been some changes here lately,” said Fiona. “The discovery of the temple attracted a great deal of attention.”